Time to take precautions against flu: Dubai Doctors

Dubai, UAE: People returning from vacations abroad, if sick, should take proper precautions to prevent the spread of flu and related diseases, doctors have warned.

Doctors have also said that the changing weather and concurrent sandstorms are also expected to cause a surge in the flu, cough and cold cases in the coming days.

Dr Sameem Mattoo, Specialist Internal Medicine at the Canadian Specialist Hospital, said that flu cases spiked mainly due to changing weather and influx of people coming from abroad bringing different strains of flu virus back to the UAE. “Since schools have re-opened, children come in contact with other kids who may be ill and thus flu spreads,” he said.

He asked parents to take precautions rather than medicines to treat flu symptoms. “Parents should not send their kids to school until they are completely cured and that could take about a week or more,” he added. The onset of Flu has typical symptoms of a runny nose, cough and fever. Dr Mattoo also said in the coming two months, the number of cases of flu and fever were expected to rise due to a change in the weather. Dr Henry V. Galuba Jr, Specialist Internal Medicine at Zulekha Hospital, Dubai said that sandstorms could trigger varied types of diseases and allergies in the body.

“These fine grains of sand can trigger certain inflammatory reactions once they enter our respiratory tract,” he said. Diseases such as asthma, acute rhinitis, acute sinusitis, acute bronchitis, allergic conjunctivitis and allergic dermatitis shoot up due to sandstorms, he said. Meanwhile, schools have also asked parents to undertake precautions to keep seasonal flu and other diseases at bay.

Tips by Indian High School’s health department

Keep your children at home until all the symptoms of flu have completely cleared – which may take upto 7 days.